i've been there. the owners are friendly and the designs are cool. i didn't buy anything, and can't speak to the quality of the rtw. i, too, would be interested in hearing impressions of the custom shirt and suit programs.

i can only say that i ordered one 16sur20 shirt from their on-line store, JFK model i believe, to see how it would fit needless to say i ordered this back around easter last year, still have not received it, no response to any emails ..... no billing on my credit card either though, so i just gave up i have a friend who drops into their store in nyc from time to time and he always comments that he doesn't know how they stay in business because the store is so bare of merchandise - i don't know if that's their minimalist approach though

If you do searches here and in AskAndy, you'll run across some postings in the past, including a fairly long discussion comparing it with the now deceased New Republic. Shirts: I like the designs and patterns, always have. Trim fitting. Machine made. Used to be made in the US, but not so sure anymore. Of decent quality but probably not worth the cost of $170 or os, unless you like the look of it. Suits: suits used to be machine made and hand "finished" by Rocco Ciccarelli in Long Island City. Last year they switched over to Boglioli (sp?) to do the suits. I have about their very first suit from Ciccarelli and a couple of jackets, all of which I generally like. Okay quality with canvas construction, etc. Silhouette is quite trim fitting with little padding and narrow-at-the-waist, straight-legged trousers. I haven't really inspected the new suits/jackets to know how good they are. James (the owner) said they switched because he thought the quality was higher and the work was done faster and more dependably in Italy than in NY. I haven't the slightest idea how the custom program works now. When they used Ciccarelli, they'd bring him (or possibly a lacky of his) in for fittings, measurements, etc. I never saw the hipsters working there doing the tailoring or cutting or anything else, but it wouldn't surprise me if they did. Now using an Italian stock I shudder to imagine how un-custom it may be, but I haven't spoken with them about it to find out. How do they stay in business? They sell out nearly every shirt they get at their retail asking price. You show me another business in NYC that does that. Seriously, look in the rack under your size and nothing's left after about 1/3 the season is over. Hey, people bought pet rocks too so that shouldn't necessarily be an indication that it's worth it.

Slightly irrelevant, but does any New Yorker here knows the whereabout of Olivier, store which used to be on Houston across the street from NYU (next to an eyeglass store, round the corner from a Shanghai restaurant)? They had a great programme for MTM/Bespoke shirt made at a small Napoli factory, but they have since disappeared. They had a sign up a while ago saying they were moving to Mott Street, but I don't see the store opening there either. Naturlaut

I've never been in the store, but I did order a total of three shirts about two years ago. The shirts are now made in Italy, and they're a quality product. I'd say that they're a step above Ike Behar. The cut is pretty slim. The fabrics are interesting. I wish that the collars were a bit stiffer.